Body at Brighton Rock Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.0

Body at Brighton Rock Blu-ray Movie Review

The bear's barely there.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 24, 2019

Essentially a store-brand version of Backcountry without the boyfriend, Roxanne Benjamin's Body at Brighton Rock hikes through well-trodden territory and, like its protagonist Wendy (Karina Fontes), is pretty much lost from the start. Our heroine works part-time at the titular state park, but is hardly a star employee: she's constantly late, doesn't take things seriously, and is barely trusted with her entry-level job. Wendy attempts to prove herself by trading assignments with pal Maya (Emily Althaus), which involves trekking solo through miles of rough terrain to ensure all the signage is up to date. It goes about as well as expected: soon enough, she's managed to lose her map only hours before dusk and, while frivolously texting her friends, discovers a lifeless body at the bottom of a steep ravine.

Yep, that one.

It all goes downhill from there, both for Wendy and the audience. Body at Brighton Rock is full of bad decisions, sloppy writing, amateur performances, cheap jump-scares, and one of the most unnecessary twist endings in recent memory. I couldn't begin to list the reasons why Wendy is such a poor character to base the featherweight story around: she's completely incompetent and thus incredibly hard to root for, despite vain attempts at character strengthening through a hellish night that tests her in almost every possibly way. The film is also unnecessarily padded even at less than 90 minutes, resorting to two consecutive dream sequences that, while creepy in their own right, only cheapen what comes later. Just before Body at Brighton Rock sputters to the finish line (and that brain-dead twist ending), Wendy finally encounters the bear featured so prominently on its cover art, poster, and screenshot #5. Their climactic battle barely lasts two minutes...so if you go in expecting Jaws with claws, you'll be even more disappointed.

Body at Brighton Rock does manage to impress visually on a low budget, and the excellent sound design also ushers in a few good scares. But it's the kind of film that seems ridiculous even while you're watching it, not just in hindsight: the logical gaps and unanswered questions are too big a hurdle to overcome, which ultimately sinks this ship during its maiden voyage. Nonetheless, Magnolia's Blu-ray at least offers a solid A/V presentation and a few extras.

Body at Brighton Rock Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Clearly shot on mid-range digital equipment, Body at Brighton Rock doesn't quite capture all the beauty and depth of its outdoor locales but still looks pretty decent on Blu-ray. Colors obviously favor earth tones with plenty of browns and greens, and the overall palette leans toward natural hues with a few intentionally tinted exceptions. Close-ups and mid-range shots feature relatively crisp detail but it rarely extends into the backgrounds, aside from the most brightly-lit shots and those featuring strong textures like gravel, rocks, and dense foliage. Other background details blend into earth-toned mush with very little depth, although the is more an issue with the source material and not disc authoring. Nighttime scenes flatten out considerably but are still fairly easy to follow, while the rare instances of indoor footage (mostly in the beginning) lie somewhere in-between. Overall, a solid transfer under the circumstances.

Body at Brighton Rock Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Body at Brighton Rock is much more sonically impressive, as the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix easily outpaces the visuals. Sound design and music cues -- more so the original score than the pop soundtrack -- are often quite effective and establish a thick, oppressive atmosphere at times. Low frequency is also put to good use during some of the more psychological moments, while rear channels get a nice workout as well. Dialogue is anchored almost squarely up front and, since this is almost completely a one-woman show, there are few exceptions aside from the occasional echo. Optional subtitles are included during the main feature only, which are formatted nicely with no sync issues.

Body at Brighton Rock Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with no inserts and a few self-explanatory extras.

• Audio Commentary with director Roxanne Benjamin and actor Karina Fontes

• A Wild Place to Film (2:48)

• A Walk in the Woods (3:21)

• Working With a Bear (4:20)

• Photo Gallery (4:14, self-playing)

• Theatrical Trailer (2:14)

Body at Brighton Rock Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Body at Brighton Rock, though fitfully intriguing, is too sloppy and cliched to be taken at more than face value. Our main character is tough to root for, it's overlong even at just 87 minutes, and the cover artwork suggests much more than a two-minute bear encounter. All told, it's clearly not a genre standout but might appeal to fans of low-budget horror, as the setting and sound design yield a few effective chills along the way. Magnolia's Blu-ray adds much-needed support including a solid A/V presentation and several extras, but this is still a "try before you buy" disc.